October 26, 1998

Name:

Sky

Age:

14 years old

Gender:

Male

Breed:

Arabian, Quarter Horse Cross

Home:

Catlett, Virginia, USA

I
would like to nominate my most special pet, Sky, as pet of the
day. Sky is a horse. He's an Arabian, Quarter Horse
cross ("quarab") and is a 14 year old gelding. He
lives in Catlett, Virginia at Mosby's Chase Farm. I am Sky's
second owner and he will be my pet for as long as he is alive.
I have had him for two years and he's my first horse. Riding
him is a challenge but he is an outstanding pet. If I'm feeling
sad, spending time with him always cheers me up. He is so
appreciative of the attention he receives. He is always happy
to see me when I go to his stable (and that is just about everyday --
sometimes a couple of times a day). He always knickers to me,
but he is more enthusiastic when I am in my office clothes than when
I am in riding clothes. If Sky is where he can see me when I
leave the stable, he watches me until I get into my car. I
think the main reason for that is that I keep a bag of apple wafers
(they are sort of like milkbones for horses) in my trunk and there's
always a chance that I might be going to the car for a refill of
treats (it has been known to happen).

I have taught Sky a really cute trick. If I ask him for a kiss,
he will bump my cheek or forehead with his nose. He expects a
treat or scratch for the kiss (he doesn't "work" for
free). He is just extremely affectionate and smart. When
he does something good, he just soaks up the praise he gets. He
is a big ham.

In March, I fell off of Sky in the riding ring. I have only
fallen from him twice and I would not be surprised if I'm the only
person ever to fall from his back (before I bought him, he had an
even lighter riding schedule than he does now). Sky stopped
running and came back to where I was on the ground. When I
could get up (I had hit my head fairly hard on the wet sand), I was
ready to scold him because he had gotten too far out of hand. I
was more angry at Sky than I have ever been before or since. I
was crying and Sky's eyes could not have been bigger. I was
telling him what a bad boy he was and grabbed his bridle. He
did his "kiss" trick then and his timing was very
good. To me, it was his way of saying he was sorry.
Getting Sky has been one of the best things I have ever done. I
recently bought a horse in addition to Sky, but Sky remains my
favorite. I love my new horse also, but Sky is (to me) one in a
million. I wouldn't part with him for anything. Sky and
my new horse, Rocket, have
their own web page,
I like to say that Sky is my patting horse and Rocket is my riding
horse. To me, he's the pet of a lifetime.